


I Don't Know Where I'd Be Without You

by chicagos911



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Sneaking Around, dawsey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:06:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22148392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicagos911/pseuds/chicagos911
Summary: For those of you who watch/have watched Chicago Fire, this is a Buddie AU in the style of Dawsey in S2E08/09Or, in which Eddie saves Buck on a call, leading to some pretty deep revelations
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 16
Kudos: 321





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey, Buck!"

Buck turned around as he was walking from his car to the firehouse to see Eddie jogging up to meet him, bag slung over his shoulder. Buck smiled as Eddie caught up to him. “Hey, man,” he greeted him. “How was your day off?”

Eddie shrugged as they got inside the house. “Fine. Took Chris to the aquarium, and now I have ‘Baby Shark’ playing on repeat in my brain.”

Buck laughed. “Sounds like fun. I’m slightly hurt that I didn’t get an invite, but it’s fiiiine.”

“Well, you would’ve if you’d picked up your phone two nights ago,” Eddie shot back.

“Wait, what?” Buck checked his phone, and lo and behold, a missed call and a text from Eddie. “Sorry, man, I must’ve missed it.” They reached the locker room and started changing their clothes.

Eddie chuckled. “Something kept you pretty busy, huh?”

“Oh, totally,” Buck joked. “One of those nights, y’know?”

“Can’t say I do, would you care to elaborate?” Eddie jabbed. Before Buck could shoot back, the bells went off, signaling them to respond to a car accident a few blocks away.

“Saved by the bell, literally,” Eddie said. Buck grinned. They hurried out to the truck, jumped in, and five minutes later, they pulled up to an intersection where a couple dozen people were already gathered, phones at the ready to capture the wreckage.

“Jeez,” Buck said out loud. A minivan had smashed into a pole, and two smaller cars had hit each other head-on.

“Buck, Eddie, check on the minivan,” Bobby ordered. “Hen, Chim, check on the other two drivers.”

“Copy, Cap,” Eddie replied. He and Buck grabbed the tool bag and hurried over to the car. A young woman was in the driver’s seat, looking afraid.

In one swift movement, Buck climbed in through the open back seat window. “Hey,” he said gently. “What’s your name?”

“Ch-Christie,” the woman said shakily.

“I’m Buck. We’re gonna get you out of here, okay?” Buck told her. He turned his head to Eddie. “Hand me a c-collar, will you?” Eddie nodded and passed it to him through the passenger’s side window. As Buck started to put it on her, he noticed a large, deep gash in her chest.

“Eddie!” He called. “Need some extra help in here.”

“Got you,” Eddie replied. He turned his head and shouted. “Need some help over here!” He slipped into the car and crawled up to the front, where Buck was. “Chest laceration, shortness of breath,” Buck told him. “She’s pinned pretty good.” Eddie nodded. He grabbed some gauze and pressed it to the wound on Christie’s chest.

“Just breathe nice and easy. We’re gonna take good care of you.”

“Eddie,” Chim’s voice called. He handed Eddie some tools through the window, and within a few minutes, they had Christie out of the car and on a backboard. Not five seconds after they’d gotten her out, there was a loud crack and the car burst into flames.

“Buck!” Eddie shouted. Instinctively, without even thinking, he launched himself on top of Buck so they were flat on the back seat, shielding his best friend from the fire with his own body. He felt Buck tense underneath him as the heat washed over them, so intense that it was almost intolerable. Thankfully, moments later, they felt it die down as the rest of their team fought the flames with extinguishers. As soon as it was out, the two of them dove out of the car and were quickly helped to their feet by Chim and Bobby.

“You two okay?” Bobby asked, concern on his face.

“I’m good,” Eddie said breathlessly. He turned to Buck. “You okay?”

Buck nodded. “I’m good.”

Eddie smiled weakly with relief. “Good.”

Buck looked like he wanted to say more, but right then, the car caught fire again and they hastily moved away as several other firefighters moved toward the car and started attacking the flames again.

-

Eddie’s clothes were covered in smoke residue and dust, so the instant they returned to the house, he headed to the locker room to change. As he sat on the bench, tying his shoes, there was a small knock on the door. He looked up and saw Buck standing there, arms crossed as he leaned against the door frame, with his signature smirk. That stance was so _Buck_ that Eddie felt a flutter in his chest, though he couldn’t pinpoint why.

“Hey,” Eddie greeted him. “What’s up?”

“Uh, I found this at my place the other day,” Buck said, holding up a small red Lego. “Pretty sure it’s one of Chris’. He had, like, a thousand last time you guys were over there.”

Eddie chuckled as Buck tossed the Lego to him. “I don’t think we really would’ve missed it. You’ve seen the pile he has, haven’t you?”

Buck shrugged. “Well, there you go anyway.”

“Thanks, man” Eddie said. He finished tying his shoes and shut his locker. When he looked back up, Buck was still standing in the doorway. “Something else?”

Buck opened his mouth, then he chuckled and looked down, looking sheepish. For some reason, this made Eddie’s chest flutter again.

“Yeah, um, good job out there earlier,” Buck said. “Quick thinking.”

Eddie smiled softly. “No big deal.”

“Yeah, it kinda was,” Buck countered. “Not to get all schmaltzy or anything, but…thanks for saving my life today.”

Eddie chuckled. “Yeah, well, you’ve done that for me, like, a million times in the last couple years, so it was the least I could do.”

Buck blushed slightly and looked down again. He gave Eddie a quick nod and turned to leave.

Suddenly, Eddie was seized by a sudden urge. Before he could stop himself, he was on his feet.

“I’ve been thinking, and…” he began. Buck turned back around, eyebrows raised. “The truth is, I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

It was true. He honestly wasn’t sure what he’d have done if Buck hadn’t been there. Through every bit of chaos and every obstacle that had been thrown into Eddie’s path in the past couple years, Buck had been there at every turn, whether or not Eddie has realized. He’d introduced Eddie to Carla, he’d been there when Shannon died, and it wasn’t even a question that Christopher would’ve died in the tsunami if Buck hadn’t been there. All of the worst moments and the best moments of Eddie’s life since he’d moved to LA involved Buck, and that was not an accident.

He realized he was staring. He snapped out of it, not wanting to imagine how red his face was. Buck was looking back at him, looking a little surprised. A faint flush was present on his cheeks, and the atmosphere in the room was so heavy that it was almost tangible. Before either one of them could say anything, there was another knock on the door, and they both started a little as Chim walked into the room.

“Hey, Buck, you left your turnout coat in the truck,” Chim said, holding it up.

“Oh, thanks, man,” Buck said. He took it and, without looking back at Eddie, turned and left the room.

Eddie shook his head and sat back down on the bench. Maybe he’d gone too far this time, accidentally shown the feelings that he’d had for Buck since the first moment he’d laid eyes on him when he’d arrived at the 118. So strong and irresistible that he always felt like he was a breath away from letting them spill out completely, and dangerous enough to destroy him if he held them in too long. And honestly? That was fucking terrifying. It was unlike _anything_ Eddie had ever felt before. He hadn’t even felt that way with Shannon, and he didn’t know what to do with it. Especially because he was almost sure Buck didn’t feel the same.

Right?

-

Buck paced back and forth in his apartment. He picked up his phone from the coffee table and looked through it. No messages. He went to the fridge, pulled out a beer, and popped the top. He threw himself down on his couch, drinking and continuously looking at his phone. He wasn’t all that sure what he was looking for; he was half-hoping for a text from Eddie, after the tension that had lingered in the air after their conversation in the locker room. They hadn’t really spoken much after that, and had both left the shift the next day quietly and separately. That conversation had felt so heavy, so new from anything they’d ever approached before, that neither of them seemed to know how to deal with it. It was as if they were both waiting to see who would cross that line first.

-

Eddie was standing in his kitchen, leaning against the counter and staring at nothing in particular. Christopher was at a sleepover for the night, and the house was so quiet that Eddie could practically hear his brain working overtime to sort out what had happened the day before in the locker room. It felt like he’d crossed some line in his and Buck’s friendship, as if they were now floating somewhere in between staying best friends, and heading toward something neither of them could come back from. It wasn’t like he hadn’t felt that way before, but something about this time felt…different. It was like he had one toe over the edge of a cliff, trying to decide between stepping back or taking the leap.

 _Fuck it_ , he thought. Seized by an irrational feeling of courage, he grabbed his coat and keys and headed out the door.

-

Buck got back up and started pacing again. He wrestled back and forth with the desire to walk out that door and tell Eddie everything, and the knowledge that that was a crazy idea. Back and forth, back and forth, until he was practically wearing a hole in the floor. Finally, he stopped.

 _Fuck it_ , he thought, setting his beer down on the table. After quickly making sure he looked alright and not like he was completely losing his mind, he grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

He never would’ve imagined that when he opened the door, Eddie would be standing there. But to Buck’s shock, there he was. Pupils so wide that his irises were reduced to brown rings, lips slightly parted, and totally, utterly speechless. Buck looked back at him, unable to form words. His brain didn’t even seem to be working anymore. His eyes flickered between Eddie’s eyes and his lips as they stood there, a tense silence suspended between them.

With a single, swift movement, Eddie cut through that tension and cleared the distance between them. And before Buck knew what was happening, Eddie’s lips were on his, one hand moving to the small of Buck’s back and the other on his waist. A shiver went through Buck’s body as he kissed Eddie back, one hand on his cheek and the other on the back of his neck. Dropping his keys and closing the door, Eddie pushed Buck into the apartment and against the wall. He kissed him harder, his tongue parting Buck’s lips and exploring his mouth, then moving to his neck as Buck pulled off Eddie’s jacket.

Maybe it was something they couldn’t could come back from, but that was completely fine.


	2. It's Our Time Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn’t as if Buck hadn’t been in similar situations before. He’d either take off before the girl woke up or they’d awkwardly try to make it work, which was hit or miss. He wasn’t sure which one this was to Eddie – would he want to try and make it work, or was it going to be a mistake to him? Either way, Buck didn’t want to just cut and run – if there was any chance that Eddie wanted what he wanted, he was going to try like hell to make it work.

The room was completely silent apart from the slight tick of the clock on Buck’s nightstand. He lay in bed, staring at the wall as his mind raced so fast that he could hardly keep up with it. He’d woken up maybe half an hour ago, and it was then that he remembered the night before. God, it had been the best night he’d had in a long time. He’d wondered for a second if maybe it was all some crazy, alcohol-induced dream, but one glance to the other side of his bed quickly crushed that fear.

Eddie was still passed out. Buck didn’t blame him; their night hadn’t exactly been restful, but that just fine. He was snoring softly a little ways away from Buck, who was turned away from the older man, still trying to gather his thoughts. What would he say? What would Eddie say? Would they have to have a _talk_ about it? How would this affect work, or Chris?

It wasn’t as if Buck hadn’t been in similar situations before. He’d either take off before the girl woke up or they’d awkwardly try to make it work, which was hit or miss. He wasn’t sure which one this was to Eddie – would he want to try and make it work, or was it going to be a mistake to him? Either way, Buck didn’t want to just cut and run – if there was any chance that Eddie wanted what he wanted, he was going to try like hell to make it work.

Buck’s racing mind was quieted as he felt Eddie, who had finally woken up, move toward him. Wrapping his arm around Buck’s waist and pulling him closer, Eddie pressed a kiss against the back of his shoulder. Just like the night before, a pleasant shiver went through Buck’s body as he moved into his partner’s embrace.

“Hey,” Buck said softly.

“Hey,” Eddie replied sleepily.

Buck wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. He didn’t feel like ruining such a perfect night with an awkward ‘what does this make us’ conversation, but he had to start somewhere.

“Uh…you hungry? You want me to—want me to fry up some eggs or something?” He finally blurted out. Before Eddie could respond, Buck rambled on. “I mean, not that we have to. If you have somewhere to be—”

Eddie let out a soft sigh that was almost like a laugh. “Buck…” He said quietly. “I’ve had a couple chances at this over the years, but I’ve always blown them. I’ve been regretting it forever.”

He shifted so that he was raised slightly above Buck, who turned around to face him. “So, I’m not about to grab my things, and make up excuses to get out of here. As far as I’m concerned, it’s our time now.”

Buck’s heart was doing some kind of gymnastics routine in his chest. He looked back at Eddie and just nodded, hardly daring to believe it. Eddie smiled and leaned down ever so slightly, planting a kiss on Buck’s lips. Buck kissed him back eagerly, feeling as if they could’ve stayed that way forever. Unfortunately, they were cut short by the alarm clock.

“Damn it,” Buck muttered. He glanced at the time. “Pick this up later?” He grinned.

Eddie nodded. “Hell yes.” He gave Buck one more small peck on the lips before getting out of bed. Buck fixed a quick breakfast while Eddie showered, and half an hour later, they were on their way out the door.

“I’ve gotta pick up Chris and drop him off with Carla, see you at the station?” Eddie said.

“See you there,” Buck replied. “Tell them I said hi.” He leaned in to steal another kiss.

Eddie grinned. “Will do.”

-

Buck walked into the station feeling like he could’ve jumped up and touched the ceiling if he’d tried. He was filled with a bizarre energy and excitement that he hadn’t felt since Abby, and even this time, it felt…different. It was like the world was perfectly in balance, and everything was just as it should be.

Hen noticed Buck’s demeanor when he practically pranced into the locker room. “What’s going on with you?” She smirked.

“What do you mean?” Buck asked, opening his locker to change into work clothes.

“You’ve got that look in your eye,” Hen said. “Good night last night?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Buck replied matter-of-factly.

Hen chuckled. “Alright, if you say so.” She closed her locker and walked out of the room. Buck laughed softly to himself and finished changing. He shut his locker and headed up to the kitchen area, where Bobby had already made breakfast.

“Morning, Buck,” the captain greeted him.

“Morning, Cap,” Buck replied. He sat down and helped himself to eggs and toast.

“Where’s Eddie?” Chim asked no one in particular.

“He’s on his way, he had to pick up Christopher from a sleepover,” Buck answered automatically. No one else really seemed to think anything of it, but he could feel Hen’s eyes on him, as if his answer was a clue to a puzzle she was trying to solve. He put his head down and focused on his food.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was finished and Eddie still wasn’t there. Chim offered to do the dishes, and everyone else was occupying themselves in some way as they waited for the first call of the shift. Buck had just agreed to a game of cards with Hen when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, and there glowed a text from Eddie.

‘Come to the back of the ambulance.’

“Uh, sorry, I’ll be right back,” Buck told Hen, and aimed for a casual demeanor as he walked away. He headed for the ambulance and, after making sure no one was watching, opened the back door. Lo and behold, there was Eddie, lying on the gurney with a playful grin on his face.

“Oh my God,” Buck managed before breaking into a soft fit of laughter. “You’re crazy!”

“A little, yeah,” Eddie agreed.

“Eddie, we can’t—we can’t do this,” Buck said.

“Not with that attitude. Come on!” Eddie replied.

Buck laughed again and, after glancing around to make sure that he still wasn’t being watched, climbed into the ambulance and closed the door behind him.

He shook his head. “You’re out of your mind.”

“You’re amazing.” Eddie grabbed the front of Buck’s shirt and pulled him down, slamming their lips together. Every concern Buck had had about the two of them – how it would affect their work, what people would say – disappeared in an instant and all he cared about was the man in front of him.

But just like that morning, the universe was hell-bent on interrupting them. The bells went off, and they broke apart reluctantly.

“Don’t think we’re finished with this,” Buck said teasingly.

“Not a chance,” Eddie grinned. Buck opened the door and jumped out of the rig.

Eddie glanced around to make sure the coast was clear before following suit. He didn’t even want to think about what everyone would say if this got out. Not that he wanted to hide his feelings for Buck, he just didn’t really need the whole firehouse knowing when he wasn’t even sure what this was yet. But he was more than happy to figure it out with Buck.

-

The call was relatively simple, just a family with a particularly bad case of food poisoning and dehydration, requiring a trip to the emergency room for all four of them. Unfortunately for Buck, he’d been riding in the back of the ambulance with the youngest child, who was the sickest of them all, and it hadn’t ended well for his uniform. After bearing Chim and Hen’s teasing for the entirety of the ride back, Buck had quickly headed for the locker room to change.

As he stripped off his puke-covered shirt and pulled a clean one on, he heard footsteps. He turned around and grinned as Eddie walked in, the same playful smile on his face that he’d had in the back of the ambulance.

“What are you doing?” Eddie asked, moving closer to him.

“Changing my shirt,” Buck replied.

“Why?” Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow. “You look just fine without it.”

Buck chuckled. “I think the guys would be a little confused, though.”

“So?” Eddie reached him and put his hand on Buck’s back, moving down to the hem of his shirt and then underneath it.

“Tread carefully, Edmundo,” Buck said softly. “Don’t start something that you can’t finish.”

“Who said I wasn’t going to finish it?” Eddie whispered back, so quietly that it was barely audible. Their faces were barely an inch apart.

Buck let out a sound of longing. “Here?”

“Why not?” Eddie smirked. The heat radiating off him was unbearable. Buck couldn’t take it anymore, so he pushed Eddie up against the lockers and kissed him, hard and deep. Eddie’s hands moved further up Buck’s back and traced his spine.

“Come over tomorrow night?” Eddie breathed in between kisses. “We can have dinner with Christopher, and then after he goes to bed…”

Buck knew exactly what he meant. “Count me in,” he replied, before moving back in for another kiss.

“Shit, shit!” Eddie whispered, turning his head so Buck’s kiss ended up on his cheek. The sound of footsteps registered in Buck’s brain a second later and the two of them jumped apart. Chim walked in – Jesus, that man should wear a bell, Buck thought – looking slightly suspicious.

“Yeah, so I’ll bring some video games over, and then we can let Christopher decide whose team he’d rather be on,” Buck said, aiming for a casual tone.

“Considering you lost last time, I don’t think there’ll be much of a decision to make,” Eddie caught on easily.

“Sure, tell yourself that, that’s fine,” Buck replied.

“Hate to break it to you, Buck, but anyone who’s seen you and Hen compete against each other in the lounge would agree with Eddie,” Chim interjected, his suspicion seeming to have melted away. Eddie laughed and high-fived Chim, as Buck shot them both a glare.

“I refuse to listen to this slander,” he said, faking offense and walking out of the room, but not before shooting Eddie a wink over his shoulder that Chim didn’t catch. Eddie grinned, starting the mental countdown in his head until the end of the shift.


	3. Feels Like Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of this! Hope y'all have enjoyed it, I definitely had fun writing it ☺️

They managed to keep things quiet for a while. Or, mostly. Buck still felt Hen’s eyes on him every time he and Eddie were too close together (and by that, it meant within ten feet of each other), so he made a point of not going too near to him, except on calls. This didn’t seem to fool her, but Eddie noticed the distance.

Six weeks after their first night together, Buck was rolling the hose back up and returning it to the truck after a call while everyone else headed upstairs for lunch. As he shut the compartment door and turned to head upstairs, he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him behind the truck.

“Whoa!” Buck came face-to-face with Eddie. “Hey, what’s up?”

Eddie looked annoyed. “Why don’t you tell me, Buck?”

“What?” Buck was instantly confused. “Did I do something?”

“Well, it seems like I’m seeing two different people at once,” Eddie said. “He sounded hurt and a little angry. “You can’t be in the same room with me while we’re here, you won’t talk to me unless it’s on a call, but when we’re at home, it’s all smiles and hand holding. What the hell is going on?”

Buck cursed internally. “I’m sorry, I was just trying to be careful. I was worried the others were gonna pick up on what’s going on.”

“Why?” Eddie demanded.

“I just...I didn’t want the entire station to figure out we’re sleeping together if someone walked into the locker room at the wrong time, or something like that.” That didn’t seem like the right description of their relationship, but they still hadn’t really had that conversation, and Buck was hesitant to define it as anything else until they did.

That was the wrong thing to say. Eddie looked even more hurt than before. “So that’s all this is to you? Just sex?” He started to turn away. “Okay, I get it. Glad we cleared things up.”

“Eddie, stop!” Buck grabbed his wrist. “This was never about sex to me.”

Eddie’s expression softened ever so slightly. “It wasn’t?”

“God, no,” Buck replied. “That part of my life is over. I—I was scared to push too hard, because I didn’t know what this was to you.”

Eddie’s anger seemed to vanish in an instant. “Yeah, I guess we never really talked about that. That’s partly my fault, too. I just assumed we were on the same page.”

“Hey, we are,” Buck slipped his hand into Eddie’s. “I wanted to talk about this after that first night, but…I guess I was afraid that it would mess everything up. I’m used to jumping into relationships without really paying attention, and that almost never ends well.”

He looked down. “But you…you’re too important to me for that. I couldn’t to risk pushing too hard and losing you.”

Eddie smirked and shook his head. “Evan Buckley, I love you, but damn, you’re so frustrating. You’re never losing me, no matter what you do.”

Buck froze. Eddie realized what he’d just said and looked a little worried. They locked eyes, silent as those three words hung in the air between them.

“I, uh…” Eddie managed.

Buck finally found his voice. “Since when?”

Eddie laughed softly. “I have no idea. It feels like forever.” The anxiety and fear that had risen so suddenly in Buck after Eddie cornered him was melting away, replaced by a bright, warm sensation in his chest.

“Um—” Eddie began again, looking nervous. “So, are you gonna—"

“I love you too,” Buck said, grinning softly. “Want me to shout it from the rooftop, or—"

Eddie laughed again. “Just say it again, so I know I heard you right.”

Buck leaned in closer to him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Eddie whispered. He leaned in the rest of the way and kissed him, soft and sweet. It might’ve been a few seconds, maybe an hour, or even longer, but finally, they moved apart reluctantly and leaned against each other, forehead to forehead. Buck’s eyes were glowing so brightly that they pierced right through Eddie and he felt a little weak in the knees.

“If you don’t want to tell everyone yet, we don’t have to,” Eddie whispered.

“Are you kidding?” Buck replied. “I want the whole world to know that you’re mine.”

Eddie blushed. “I want that too.”

“We, uh…we should probably head upstairs though, before someone comes looking for us,” Buck said softly.

“Good idea.” They kissed one more time before emerging from behind the truck and heading up to the common area where everyone else was sitting at the table, just starting lunch. Buck sat in between Hen and Bobby, and Eddie on the other side in between Bobby and Chim. Bobby glanced at them absent-mindedly as they sat down, and Chim and Hen exchanged looks that no one else noticed.

They all exchanged the normal jokes and stories as they ate, but Buck was certain that everyone else could sense the strange tension in the air. It was like they all suspected something was going on, but no one said anything.

“I’ll do the dishes,” Hen offered as they finished eating.

“Thanks, Hen,” Bobby said. “Eddie, can you double check the tools on the ladder truck before we get any calls?”

“Sure, Cap,” Eddie replied.

Buck stood up. “Actually…” Everyone looked at him and his fleeting bit of courage threatened to disappear. Eddie met his eyes and ever so slightly, he nodded.

“What’s up?” Bobby asked, looking curious.

“I, um…” Buck began. “We have something to tell you guys.” He moved closer to Eddie, keeping his eyes locked on him for encouragement. Eddie smiled gently. He reached out and took Buck’s hand.

“We’re…um, we’re together,” Buck said. “Right?” He added to Eddie.

Eddie nodded, still smiling. “We are.”

Bobby’s eyes widened. He looked a little surprised, but pleasantly. Hen was smirking knowingly, and Chim looked – was Buck seeing things? – a little annoyed?

“Damn it,” Chim blurted out. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed some bills to Hen, who accepted them with an evil chuckle.

“You knew?” Buck asked, not surprised at all.

“Sweetie, please,” Hen said. “How long?”

“Um, about six weeks,” Buck said.

Hen smirked. “Let me guess…the shift after you two got stuck in that burning car together.”

“How did you—" Eddie looked astounded.

“I knew there was something going on with you,” Hen said, throwing Buck an amused look.

Buck laughed. “Yeah, I know you did.”

“Jeez, Hen, first Bobby and Athena, then these two…” Chim shook his head. “Are you secretly a psychic?”

“Nope, you all are just bad at hiding things,” Hen grinned.

“Well, to be fair…” Buck gestured to everyone else, “no one else figured it out.”

“Alright, alright,” Bobby said, standing up. “All things aside, I’m happy for you guys. We can work things out with HR later.”

“Thanks, Cap,” Buck smiled.

Bobby smiled back softly. “Alright, if I may…Eddie, the truck?”

“Right, I’m on it.” Eddie said quickly. He let go of Buck’s hand and threw him a grin over his shoulder. Buck watched him as he left, a warm, happy feeling flooding through his body.

“Buck. Earth to Buck!” Buck snapped out of his lovestruck stupor. Hen was standing in front of him.

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Buck said. “What?”

Hen looked like she was trying not to laugh. “I said, mind giving me a hand with the dishes?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Buck agreed quickly, feeling his face redden as he followed her to help clean.

-

_*a year later*_

Buck was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at something in his hands. He was supposed to have been ready ten minutes ago when Eddie had gotten home from dropping off Chris at Peppa’s, but something had slightly distracted him. He was mostly ready, he just had to tie his tie, and Eddie was always better at that than him. And he was kind of freaking out about what he was planning to ask his boyfriend later that evening.

“Buck!” Eddie’s voice called. Buck jumped and shoved the item in his hands into his pocket. The door creaked open and Buck glanced up to see Eddie’s slightly annoyed face peeking into the bedroom.

“Sorry, sorry,” Buck said quickly. “I’m almost ready, I just need a little help.” He held his tie up with a pleading look on his face.

Eddie smirked. “Really, Buck?” He shook his head, took the tie, and within a minute, it was neatly tied and resting against Buck’s shirt.

“Now, come on, before they give away our table.”

“Wait a sec,” Buck said. He put his hand on Eddie’s cheek and kissed him. “Happy one year anniversary, Eddie.”

Eddie smiled. “Happy one year anniversary, Buck. Now, can we go?”

“Yes, dear,” Buck teased. He picked up his jacket from the bed. As he was putting it on, his hand caught on his pocket, and out tumbled what he’d been trying to keep a secret for weeks.

He didn’t notice, but his boyfriend did.

Eddie stared at the little black box on the floor, frozen. “Um…Buck?”

“Yeah?” Buck replied, unaware. Then, he caught Eddie’s gaze and realized what had happened. His heart leapt into his throat.

“Oh, uh…” He snatched the box off the floor. “Sorry, I—I, um…” He let out a nervous chuckle. “Let’s go, we’re gonna be late.”

“Buck,” Eddie said again as his boyfriend tried to walk out the door.

“Damn it.” Buck turned back to him with a nervous chuckle. “This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.” He pulled the box out of his pocket.

Eddie’s eyes were wide. “Evan Buckley…”

Buck blushed. “Leave it to me to mess up the most important question ever.”

Eddie’s shock finally broke. He let out a laugh, and Buck could see tears welling up in his eyes.

“Well?” He said. “Are you gonna ask me, or…”

Buck grinned. He got down on one knee and opened the box, revealing two matching gold wedding bands.

“Eddie Diaz, will you marry me?”

“Hell yes I will,” Eddie whispered back as his tears broke free. Buck stood up and kissed his boyfriend—no, his _fiancé_ —feeling his own tears run down his cheeks.

“I love you so much,” he said softly.

“I love you more,” Eddie breathed back. He kissed him again and pulled off his jacket.

“Wait, what about dinner?” Buck asked.

“Screw dinner,” Eddie grinned. “Get over here.”

Buck laughed and did as he was told. They collapsed onto the bed together, locked in each other’s embrace. Buck couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with this man.


End file.
